European Patent No. 507 072 B1 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,776) relates to an electronic control system for a vehicle in which a setpoint acceleration value is derived for the longitudinal movement of the vehicle based on a vehicle-operator input and on setpoint values from driver-assistance systems, which is set by controlling the drive train or the brake system of the vehicle. Specific details for coordinating a plurality of setpoint acceleration values determined by independent systems are not given in the reference.
From the German Published Patent Application No. 100 48 015 filed on Sep. 26, 2000, a control system for a drive unit is discussed in which, on the basis of transmission output values or setpoint output torque values from different control systems, a resulting setpoint torque value for controlling the drive unit is generated, which is implemented by a corresponding conversion into controlled variables of the drive unit.
German Patent No. 196 16 732 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,926) discusses a system in which a setpoint deceleration value coming from the driver through an actuation of the brake pedal or from driver-assistance systems such as an adaptive cruise control is converted into a setpoint brake torque, which is implemented by actuating the brake system of the vehicle.
An adaptive cruise control (vehicle speed control including distance sensing) is discussed in SAE paper No. 96 10 10 “Adaptive Cruise Control, System Aspects and Development Trends”, 1996, by Hermann Winner, Stefan Witte, Werner Uhler and Bernd Lichtenberg.